Inspirations

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." - 1 John 1:7

"Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself." - J. I. Packer

PRAYER MOTIVATOR

"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." - Colossians 4:2

"Prayer, in its most simple form, is communication. If we're going to be victorious over the works of the flesh, and over the power of the enemy, we must first submit ourselves to God. And prayer is the first step in submitting to God." - Juanita Bynum

SOUL-WINNING MOTIVATOR

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." - Romans 10:1

"We must win rulers; political, economic, scientific, artistic personalities. They are the engineers of souls. They mold the souls of men. Winning them, you win the people they lead and influence." - Richard Wurmbrand

Is Your Work Environment Miserable? Here Are 5 Suggestions for You

May 18, 2014

About once a week I talk with a minister — usually a younger minister — who is miserable in their current context. It isn’t always because the workplace is miserable. Sometimes it’s a misfit for them personally. Sometimes it is an unhealthy culture or a controlling leader.

Many times, even if they’ve only been there a short time, they seem ready to quit. Most of us have been there at some point in our career.

There are many things I love about the youngest generation in the workplace. They are intent on making a difference. They are family-oriented. They want to do meaningful work. I love all that.

One difference, in my observation, is how they respond when they find themselves in one if these miserable situations. Many seem to check out too quickly. They are ready to quit — give up — even before something else comes along, as soon as they discover they are miserable.

I’m sure that is true of other generations, but there were generations who endured an entire career in less than ideal situations. They saw work as — well — work.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not advising that either. Why spend 40 years in a miserable environment? Life is too short. Work doesn’t have to be miserable. And, there are healthy places that understand and appreciate the change in workplace attitude, especially being introduced by younger generations. That’s a positive.

But, what should you do when you find yourself in a miserable situation? How should you respond? Rather than quit, what other options do you have?

Here are 5 suggestions when a work environment is miserable:

Soak up all you can. You’re learning valuable lessons, even when you don’t enjoy the place where you’re working. I’m not sure you can see that at the time, but it’s true. It won’t be a wasted experience if you learn from it. Some if my best leadership skills came from watching leaders do leadership the wrong way. I once had a boss throw a huge sales book at my head because of disappointing numbers. I learned from that. Throwing things doesn’t work. (And, many other principles were learned from that leader.)

Dream your next big dream. Don’t quit dreaming. Invest your energies somewhere you enjoy outside of work. Create something inside or outside the place where you work that you can get excited about. Start your own ministry or company in a garage on your days off. Some of the best we know started that way. These extra energies will keep your heart filled, which is critical. (Above all else guard the heart. Proverbs 4:23)